Stolen Crowns
by xoInfinityxo
Summary: Percy is a prince who is dreading the day he has to get married. Annabeth is a thief who wants to save her family from the kingdom. What happens when their paths cross? Percy's crown won't be the only thing Annabeth will be stealing. She might even steal his heart. AU Percabeth, Jasper.
1. Chapter 1

_I had originally written this story as Annabeth as the princess and Percy as the thief but I thought that it would be more original to do it vice versa! So I hope you enjoy! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own PJO_

**Chapter 1**

**Annabeth**

The sound of hooves hitting against the dirt road started to turn from a very distant sound to one much closer. A sly grin made its way onto Annabeth's face as the white pristine carriage came into view, and her hopes were confirmed. The carriage of a noble.

She could only image what goods and riches they had in that carriage, and her heart sped up at the idea of holding it all in her hands.

Stay calm, Annabeth, stay calm…

She forced herself to hold her breath as the carriage came closer, directly onto the trail of rather sharp rocks she had left on the dirt road. It was the easiest crime in the book, and she had perfected it so many times she had lost count.

She left a group of sharp rocks in the middle of the road, exactly at the point where the wheel would hit it and shudder off of its spires. It gave her just enough time for her to jump into the empty carriage and grab as many riches as she could get.

And it happened again.

She grinned when the wooden wheel fell off of the carriage, going just according to plan.

Wait…not yet…not yet….

As soon as a man and a woman stepped outside of the white carriage, Annabeth took this as her chance. She leapt up from her hiding spot in the bushes as the two and their guard conversed about what happened and as they tried to get the wheel back on.

Annabeth's heart leapt as soon as she saw all of the gold riches lying on the seat, already in a burlap sack. She grinned as she grabbed the sack and raced off into the woods.

"Hey! It's an ambush!" she heard from behind her, but like she said, they were behind her. And soon she disappeared into the woods, completing yet again another robbery.

**Percy**

Percy fixed the collar of his suit as he examined himself in the mirror. He was dressed in the finest robes, and although he was dressed nicely, he always kept his sword Riptide by his side, and didn't care how many times his mother scolded him for it.

Today was the day he was supposed to meet his soon-to-be wife. And he was dreading every second of it. Between his kingdom, Oceania, and his future wife's kingdom, Olympus, their joined kingdoms would be unstoppable. This was exactly the reason his parents had set up this little arrangement.

"Percy?" Jason, Percy's trainer and also one of his best friends, said from the doorway, "are you almost ready?"

"Yeah," Percy mumbled, and fixed the sleeves of his suit before turning to his blond friend. Jason lived at the castle, and ever since they were younger, he and Percy had always trained together, until finally Percy's father appointed him official royal trainer.

Jason's parents, King Zeus and Queen Hera, were always away on diplomatic trips, leaving him and his older sister Thalia to live with Percy and his parents, who just happened to be their aunt and uncle. Thalia was always running errands for Percy's mother, Queen Salina, but she always said she didn't mind. She loved helping.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Jason said, noticing his friend's discomfort, but Percy could only muster up a weak smile.

"Yeah," he said once more. His vocabulary wasn't on point today, and he knew why.

"Look, I heard Princess Piper was beyond beautiful, and I'm sure she's a great girl, so why don't you take the time to get to know her? I'm sure it'll work out," Jason assured Percy, and he smiled gratefully at his cousin. Percy really needed someone to calm his nerves right now. Especially after the thought of getting married at the age of eighteen.

It was terrifying to Percy. It seemed like just yesterday he was running around with Jason and Thalia in the royal gardens playing tag at the age of seven.

Where did the time go?

"Come on," Jason said and ushered Percy out of the room, "we're going to be late."

Percy obliged, and reluctantly followed his cousin towards the ballroom where he was to meet his future wife.

**Annabeth**

Annabeth laughed to herself, feeling slightly insane at the gesture, but she didn't care. She loved the feeling of getting away with a robbery, it made her feel so alive and exhilarated. She clutched the burlap bag of golden riches and slowed her run down to a speed walk as her family's cabin came into view.

"Father! I'm home!" she called as she entered the wooden cottage just outside of town. She took off her cloak, revealing her golden hair tied back with a piece of wool. She placed her cloak by the door, and headed into the kitchen to find her father trying to tame her two younger brothers, Bobby and Matthew.

Annabeth made sure to walk to her room without him seeing the bag she was carrying and threw it with the rest of the stash of the others. She kept her stash hidden under a secret door behind her bed. She was saving it until she had enough to buy her and her family out of this kingdom, and for them to find a new and better home elsewhere.

"Hello, Annabeth," her father said and smiled at her when she reentered the kitchen. Her wooden cottage wasn't much, and it only consisted of one large room which they used for the kitchen, dining room, and living room. And there were two other rooms, one was Annabeth's which she had told her father she would share with her two younger brothers, but he insisted that since she was a girl, she was allowed the room to herself while the trouble-makers lived with him in his room.

"How was your day?" he asked while walking over to the fire to cook some vegetables he had picked outside in their garden. The wooden table seated for four with four wooden chairs stood in the middle of the room, with a wool couch sitting by another small fire. The two boys were roughhousing in the middle of the wooden floor, and were crashing on top of each other.

"Interesting," Annabeth said and her father looked up from his cooking to give her a smile.

"How so?"

Annabeth smiled and glanced back at her room when he wasn't looking and just shrugged.

"You never know what life holds in store for you," she said and then went over to her rugrats for brothers to stop them before they rolled into the fire.

Her father laughed and placed the vegetables on the stoned plates they had.

"Well, come eat. You must be hungry," her father said and Bobby and Matthew instantly took this as their cue to run over and eat. They would eat anything you put in front of them. Annabeth's tried before.

Annabeth sat down and nibbled on the carrot that her father had cooked and smiled at him. He had dark bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his brown hair was sticking up. He was a farmer, but prices haven't been as good as the usually were, and Annabeth knew they were in debt. If they didn't come up with enough money soon, they would lose their little cottage, and their farm, and be homeless.

That's why Annabeth stole. She needed to get her family enough money to bring them to a new kingdom where they could start fresh, and not have to worry about money all of the time.

"Dad, Reyna asked if I could go to the tavern after dinner. Would that be alright?" Annabeth asked as she stood up to put her plate away in one of the cupboards.

"I suppose so," her father said while he helped her two brothers clean up after dinner, "just don't stay out to late."

Annabeth grinned and went over to kiss his cheek before grabbing her cloak and racing out into the evening. The air was crisp for November, and she shivered as she pulled her cloak tighter around her. She trudged through the forest, to get to the trail that led to the kingdom and the main central area of it.

She was nervous about the winter. If she couldn't muster up enough money, she was worried her family would freeze. They couldn't afford the wool blankets that most families had for the winter, and they couldn't afford the extra stockings for their feet in the cold nights.

Torches from the central square of Oceania came into view, and Annabeth grinned. She loved the central square, and when she was younger her father and mother used to take her there all of the time and she would always buy one stuffed animal from the store. It was always either the bunny or the fox.

Then her mother left. She just picked up her bags one day without any explanation and left to god knows where. She doesn't write, and doesn't have any contact with Annabeth nor her father.

After a few more years, her father remarried, a lovely woman named Heather, but Annabeth still always wondered where her mother went, and why she left in the first place.

Before she could contemplate anymore on her past, her best friend Reyna came into view. Her dark hair was braided down her shoulder, as it usually was, and she had on a brown cloak that she pulled tightly to her chest. She grinned when Annabeth came into view.

"Annabeth," she greeted and gave her a hug, which Annabeth gratefully took, wanting to escape the cold.

"Hey Reyna," Annabeth said and then shivered, "let's talk in the tavern, okay?"

Reyna laughed and nodded as they made their way towards the tavern. Loud music came from the band, and loud men slurred drunk in their seats as anyone walked by. Annabeth grinned when she saw her friends sitting around their usual table.

"Annie!" Leo greeted, slurring her name slightly so Annabeth knew instantly he was drunk.

"I told you not to call me that," she scolded and sat down across from him, next to Clarisse and her boyfriend, Chris.

"Sorry, sunshine," Leo said and took another sip of his beer.

"So what's the important meeting?" Annabeth asked while looking at her friends.

"You know how Prince Percy is getting married?" Reyna asked, leaning forward slightly so their conversation wouldn't be heard, although Annabeth knew no one in this tavern was listening.

"I do now," Annabeth laughed, not exactly keeping up with the kingdom's news.

"Well he is," Luke, one of Annabeth's oldest friends, said from across from her. He took a sip from his beer as Leo practically fell over. Annabeth snorted.

"Who's the unlucky girl who has to marry that self-centered bastard?" she asked while taking a sip of the beer that Reyna had ordered for her, and a few low chuckles came from the group.

"Princess Piper of Olympus," Clarisse answered from beside Annabeth. Annabeth rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink. She couldn't stand the royals, she absolutely loathed them, if she's being honest, but she kept her mouth shut. She'd rather not be tried for treason when she already had robbery on her hands.

"Okay, so what about it?" Annabeth pressed, wanting to hear more of the story. Reyna grinned evilly, as if she had the perfect plan up her sleeve.

"There's going to be a huge ball, three days from now, to honor their engagement," she continued, "and you know what that means."

A smile crept its way onto Annabeth's face as she nodded slowly.

"The perfect crime."

**I hope you liked it! I switched the roles just because I thought it would be more fun to write about and I thought it would be interesting. **

**Please review!**

**Thanks for reading (: xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	2. Chapter 2

_Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or the cover photo_

**Chapter 2**

**Percy**

Percy stared at himself in the mirror, not sure whether to be satisfied or to be mortified. He was dressed in his finest suit, one that his mother picked out especially for this evening, and he had to admit, it made him look handsome.

But the reason as to why he was wearing this suit kept nagging at him in the back of his head and he felt the same tumbling feeling in his stomach at the thought of having to meet the girl that he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with, tonight.

Princess Piper. She was supposed to be beautiful, although Percy didn't doubt it. Her mother was Queen Aphrodite, one of the fairest women in the entire realm. He fixed the collar of his suit and prepared to head downstairs when the door to his bedroom opened slowly, and he turned, his eyes falling on his blond cousin.

"Ready?" Jason said while stepping into Percy's room. Percy let out a breath before glancing at his reflection once more in the mirror before nodding stiffly and turning to Jason.

"I guess I'll have to be," he said, and Jason pursed his lips together.

"Perce, trust me, you'll be happy," he said and led Percy out of his room. The doors behind Percy shut with a loud click, and he felt a painful punch to his gut, as if the door that was closing behind him wasn't only to his bedroom, but to his childhood, that was locked behind it, never to be released again.

"I doubt it," Percy mumbled and followed Jason, who was also dressed nicely, down the stairs and towards the ballroom. He could already hear the music coming from the ball, as the sounds of the beautiful symphony danced in his ears.

The two boys stopped in front of the entrance leading into the ballroom as one of the court jesters announced their arrival.

"Please welcome, Prince Perseus and his cousin, Prince Jason!" the jester bellowed into the horn he was holding. Everyone stopped their dancing and chatting as they parted way for the two teenagers. Percy scanned the crowd as he and Jason walked through the split walkway the guests had made for them, each of them bowing in respect.

Percy nodded politely to each of them as he passed, and glanced around the room for any sign of his parents.

"Percy!" Grover, the royal gardener, and also one of Percy's oldest friends, ran up to the boys once everyone returned back to their usual party-goings.

"Hey Grover," Percy said while giving his old friend a hug, although his parents frowned very much upon hugs unless with those of family. They said it was "the ways of the commoners", but Percy made an exception with Grover.

"Are you nervous?" Grover asked, and earned a well-deserved glare from Jason who was next to him. Percy hadn't noticed the butterflies in his stomach until Grover resurfaced the conversation that Percy had been trying to avoid.

Princess Piper. The girl he was supposed to marry and spend the rest of his life with. He was meeting her for the first time tonight and he hadn't noticed how nervous he really was until now.

"Yes," Percy answered honestly, and glanced over his shoulder.

"Don't be," Jason assured his cousin, "do you really think your parents would set you up with some snob?"

Percy snorted and shook his head, not imagining his father dealing with someone so stuck-up, unlike Percy's last girlfriend. It was arranged of course, another act of Percy's parents trying to find him a love, and Percy did actually grow to love her, until he realized her true side. She had been a princess from another realm, and Percy wasn't sure what their royal families were like back then, but apparently they abused their servants when disobeyed, and killed people they didn't like.

The life of savages.

Percy and his parents had gotten rid of her so fast he didn't even remember her name.

"Perseus!" a familiar voice rang out and Percy turned, seeing his mother come towards him with a very beautiful girl on her arm. Percy's stomach dropped.

Jason and Grover backed away as if they had already taken the cue to leave, and Percy chewed on his bottom lip, a bad habit of his that he had tried so many times to stop, but never could.

The girl had dark brown hair, complimented with a tanned complexion. Her hair was down in curled ringlets that surrounded her oval face, and fell over her shoulders like a cloud. Her eyes were constantly changing colors, from blue, to green, to hazel, that Percy became mesmerized by them. She was dressed in a light pink ball gown, and her face had only little makeup covering it.

She smiled shyly when she approached Percy with his mother dragging her by the arm.

"Perseus," his mother repeated, "please meet Princess Piper, your future wife."

Percy had never heard a sentence so strange in his life. Please meet your future wife. He hadn't even met the girl he was already planning to marry, until now.

Piper bowed to him and smiled at him, her pearly whites nearly blinded him. Percy bowed in return and smiled back, wanting to leave the impression that he was friendly.

"I'll leave you two alone," Queen Salina said before hurrying off to find Percy's father. The awkwardness that hung in the air between the prince and the princess didn't last long until Piper asked him what he liked to do in his free time.

"I usually practice sword fighting with my cousin Jason," Percy answered easily and turned to her, "and you?"

"I like to read sometimes," she answered, just as casually as he had.

Soon, they were talking about all of the types of books they had read, because believe it or not, Percy loved to read, although it was difficult for him with his dyslexia, he loved to read in Greek. It came so easily to him.

After a few more minutes of talking, Percy held out his hand to Piper and smiled at her.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, and Piper grinned while taking his hand.

"I would love to."

Percy placed his hand on her waist as she placed hers on his shoulder, and he slowly led them to the music that was playing in the background. The symphony of violins, harps, cellos, and many others created such a sound that Percy wished he could listen to it for the rest of his life.

Percy was mesmerized by Piper's eyes once more, and he found himself genuinely smiling. Maybe Jason was right, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Halfway through the dance, he felt the world behind them seem to dissolve behind them, as if they were the only two in the room, and the only thing he could hear was his heartbeat and the soft sounds of the royal symphony.

Percy found himself staring at Piper, mesmerized by her beauty and he felt himself starting to lean in, as she did the same. He was pretty sure his heart was beating out of his chest, but right before their lips touched, the general of the royal guards burst into the ballroom, and the music came to a halt.

"Your majesty!" he cried when King Poseidon approached him, a look of concern was written across his face.

"What's happened?" King Poseidon asked, and Percy watched with his eyebrows furrowed when everyone turned their attention to them.

"There's been a robbery."

**Annabeth**

Annabeth couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard the music coming from the ballroom that was beneath her and Reyna. Of course all of the rich people and nobles and other royals were there, dancing in their fancy dresses, and being pampered with their royal dressers.

It made Annabeth want to vomit.

Reyna laughed softly at her friend's reaction when they two girls glanced into the large window at the top of the ballroom that had a very tall ceiling. Annabeth resented every single person in that room, and it made her want to give each and every one of them a piece of her mind.

"Come on, Annie, we have to focus," Reyna said in a hushed voice, and Annabeth was so excited about their plan that she forgot about the group of snobs beneath them.

"Psst!" Leo hissed from his position which was below the girls, by the window of the king and queen's bedroom. Luke was next to him with the remaining of the rope on his back that they had used to climb up to this height. Clarisse and Chris were at the ground level, keeping lookout for any guards.

Some guards were perched on the tall towers of the castle, but none thought to come towards the ballroom area, which Annabeth found quite humorous. They weren't kidding when they said the security wasn't up to par.

The plan was that Reyna and Annabeth sneak into the prince's room and steal whatever goods they could find, and if they could, make it towards the guest rooms, the ones they used for any of the nobles and other royal families who came for balls and stayed for a few days, and take any goods they could find there too.

While Annabeth and Reyna were doing that, Leo and Luke were going to rob the king and the queen's room of any goods they could find. Chris and Clarisse were the lookouts.

"Let's go," Luke hissed from where he and Leo were perched, and Reyna and Annabeth nodded. They crawled carefully against the ledge of the roof, as Annabeth tired her hardest not to look down. The last thing she wanted was to fall to her death. The prince's balcony was only a few more feet away and she felt her heart pumping with adrenaline as they inched closer to it.

Once Annabeth was close enough, she gripped the railing of the balcony and hulled herself over it until she landed safely on the marble floor. She helped Reyna over as the two girls tried to be as silent as possible.

Annabeth glanced over the balcony towards the king and queen's room and smiled in relief when she noticed that Leo and Luke were in.

Of course the doors to the prince's room were locked, but Reyna pulled out a wood chip she had been gnawing on in case of a locked room. Annabeth stood to the side as Reyna fumbled with the woodchip, and both girls grinned when the wooden door opened with a soft click.

"Come on," Reyna whispered as Annabeth checked one more time behind her to make sure no guards were following them.

Annabeth groaned and rolled her eyes in annoyance as she looked around the room that belonged the prince. A bed bigger than her house (not literally) was in the center of the room against the wall that was at least ten feet tall. His closet was bigger than one Annabeth's ever seen, and she didn't even know what he needed all of those clothes for, he was a guy after all.

"Start looking," Reyna said softly as the two girls looked around the dark room, only lit by the moonlight steaming in through the windows and balcony.

Annabeth went towards the white wooden desk near the door and looked through the few drawers, pulling out stray pieces of gold that the prince probably found "useless". Reyna was looking under the bed, and Annabeth eyed the closet. There had to be so many goods in there that Annabeth couldn't stop her heart from quickening its pace.

She stepped into the closet and looked around cautiously, wondering if the prince had any traps that could set off an alarm, although she figured he wasn't that smart. She walked towards a shelf that was covered in clothes, something she found suspicious, and moved away the robes that tingled at her touch.

She had never felt something so soft in her life…

Focus, Annabeth.

She moved away the clothing that made her boil with anger, and felt her jaw drop slightly when the piles of golden jewelry and money stood in front of her. There was a jewelry box which was made out of pure gold, and Annabeth's hands tingled to touch it.

Suddenly, she heard Reyna moving frantically from out in the bedroom, and she looked to see what the commotion was about, and her stomach dropped when she saw Luke standing on the balcony.

"Annabeth come on!" he said, not even worried about someone hearing them, which could only mean one thing. They had been caught.

She heard shouts of guards come from the distance, and she knew they didn't have much time left, but the image of her struggling family filled her mind and she quickly raced into the closet again, ignoring Luke and Reyna's calls. She grabbed the golden jewelry box and threw it into the sack that she was carrying before racing towards the balcony where Reyna and Luke had started climbing down, waiting for her.

Right before she grabbed a hold of the rope that Leo, Chris, and Clarisse had secured at the ground, the doors to the prince's bedroom opened and in walked the prince himself. The two made eye contact, green on grey, before Annabeth ducked her head and climbed as fast as she could down the rope.

"Stop!" she heard him yell, but a smile only appeared on her face when she feet touched the dirt beneath her and she and her friends raced off into the woods.

The images of his green eyes were burnt in her brain.

**Percy**

After the guard had announced the robbery and Percy's father stormed out of the room, Percy's stomach dropped. There was one thing in his room that he couldn't let anyone take, no matter what it costs. He instantly forgot about Piper and raced out of the ballroom as hushed chatter filled the ballroom, that of which Percy ignored.

He ran as fast as his feet could carry him towards his room, but sometimes he forgot how big this castle was, and it felt like a lifetime before he reached his room.

As he pushed the doors open, the last thing he expected to see was a girl. Her big grey eyes, ones that shocked Percy, met his, and they stayed like that for a moment, almost as if each of them were paralyzed, before Percy snapped out of it.

He glanced at his closet, which was wide open and his stomach dropped. She had it. He knew she had it.

"Stop!" he yelled, and raced towards her, but she was already climbing down the rope, and by the time Percy could think of a plan, she was gone.

Along with the box of his dead sister's jewels.

**I added a twist! I just had to, and I'll get to the part with Percy's sister in future chapters. I hope you liked it! Don't worry, I don't really ship Percy and Piper, but I like Piper and I don't want to depict her as some snobby girl. **

**I hope you enjoyed!**

**Please review! (:**

**Thanks for reading xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the late update!_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Percy**

"Prince Perseus, we really would advise you to stay here," one of the guards pleaded to Percy as he angrily grabbed his coat and boots. He didn't even bother to change out of his ball attire, but he didn't care. He was going to find that robber and her big grey eyes. He was going to find her and make her pay for taking his sister's jewels.

"I'm going," Percy growled, harsher than he had intended, but at the moment, he didn't care. He was going to get those jewels back, if it was the last thing he did.

"Percy, what are you doing?" Jason asked as he walked with Percy, quickly trying to keep up with his cousin, although it was difficult due to Percy's fast walking.

"She took River's jewels," Percy growled, and hadn't realized how angry he was until he actually spoke his sister's name. The castle was in a slight panic, although Percy's parents managed to keep the guests calm enough to continue with the party.

"So you're just going to plunge into the woods and get them back? In case you're not remembering these criminals robbed the royal castle. They're probably either extremely dangerous or insane to try that type of stunt," Jason said, quickening his pace to keep up with Percy who was angrily walking towards the front gates of the castle.

Percy had ordered his steed, Blackjack, to be ready for his departure. He didn't care how long it was going to take, he would get those jewels back. Although, the castle staff was very reluctant about Percy's idea, they obliged, seeing how none of them want to anger the prince even more. Percy's parents were also not too keen on the idea, but Percy could handle himself, so they let him go.

"You can't stop me from going," Percy said to Jason, who was still trying to convince him not to go.

"I suppose not," Jason said, and stopped walking when they reached Blackjack, a tall black stallion, who Percy had grown up with. Literally. Blackjack was a foal when Percy was only a child, and they both grew up together, creating a sort of bond unlike any other.

"I guess I should wish you luck, instead," Jason said, and Percy nodded while climbing up on Blackjack's back.

"What if I come with you?" Jason suggested, and glanced at the two guards that were accompanying Percy on his "hunt". They were only coming merely because the king and queen told Percy they would feel much better if he was accompanied, as if he couldn't handle himself.

A search party was already sent out an hour ago, to retrieve the stolen goods, and arrest the thieves. Their punishment would be further announced.

Percy shook his head at his cousin who looked up at him worriedly.

"I need you to stay here, with Princess Piper. Please explain my absence to her, and try to keep her company," Percy explained, and Jason nodded, although Percy knew he was doing his cousin a favor.

He could see the looks Jason was giving Princess Piper throughout the night, but he never said anything.

"Anything for you, your majesty," Jason said, in a slightly mocking tone. Percy grinned, and shook Jason's hand before nodding to him.

"I'm counting on you," Percy said, and Jason nodded.

"As am I, for your return," Jason said, and Percy laughed.

"You know I can handle myself," Percy said, and Jason nodded as well.

"Yeah, but sometimes you can be really stupid."

"Hey!"

"Just go," Jason said, and waved off the prince before heading back towards the castle, Percy grinned, and hit the reins against Blackjack's neck.

"Let's go, buddy," Percy said, and he and the two guards accompanying him on their horses, Arion and Guido, raced off into the kingdom, where that thief with the grey eyes was waiting, along with Percy's jewels.

**Annabeth**

Annabeth couldn't help but let out a cruel laugh as she and her friends raced through the forest, jumping over anything in their way. The adrenaline rush from that robbery was unlike anything else, that she could practically feel the excitement running through her veins. She gripped the bag of jewels tightly in her hand, as they ran, and could only think of the things they could buy with this much gold.

"Rest stop!" Leo hollered from the front of the crowd. He was breathing heavily, but his mischievous grin was still plastered on his face.

"Nice work, guys," he congratulated the group, and everyone grinned.

"I think that was a successful robbery, don't you?" Luke asked while twirling a golden ring around his finger.

"You should've seen the prince's face when he saw that his _precious _things were gone," Annabeth laughed, and Reyna joined her. Prince Percy had _almost _caught them, but Annabeth would have just kicked his butt, if he even tried to stop them.

"He was so upset," Reyna said, while taking out one of the necklaces they had stolen from the prince. It was a silver chain, with a bright blue gemstone in the middle, cut in the shape of a heart. Reyna lifted the necklace up and frowned.

"A little girly for a prince, don't you think?" she asked, and Annabeth nodded and laughed once more.

"He's probably crying over his precious jewels, but I'm sure he has a whole other stash in his freaking basement," Chris chided in, and Annabeth held back her loud laughs. She didn't want to get caught in the middle of the woods.

"Come on, we should get going," Clarisse said, and the others all agreed before racing off into the night.

**Percy**

Percy couldn't even control his anger the more he thought about that thief with his sister's jewels. He swore that when he found them, he would punish those thieves wish banishment, or even execution.

It depended on how angry he was.

As of right now, he wanted to burn them alive, but Blackjack could notice his master's uneasiness, and he whinnied nervously.

"It's okay, buddy," Percy said and patted his horse's neck gently, as he and the two guards slowed to a trot. Percy had seen the two guards around the castle before, but had never really spoken to them before.

One of them, was a big burly man, of Asian descent. His dark hair was cut short, like an army haircut, and his muscles flexed through his armor. Percy didn't want to have to pick a fight with him.

The other, was surprisingly, a girl. She was smaller, much smaller than Percy or the other guard, but Percy figured she made up for her small size with speed, and agility. She had dark skin and golden hair pulled back in her helmet. Her golden eyes seemed to analyze the grounds in front of them. Both of the guards were silent, staring straight ahead at the dirt road in front of them.

Percy knew that when around his parents, the guards couldn't speak unless spoken to, but Percy liked actually having human interaction.

"You two can talk you know," Percy said softly, as he looked between the two. They seemed to relax slightly, but neither one of them spoke.

"I'm Percy by the way," he continued, introducing himself, although he knew they already knew who he was. The boy snorted, as if he found it amusing that Percy had to introduce himself, and Percy couldn't help but smile as well.

"See, I can have a sense of humor," Percy said, "I'm not all fancy like my parents."

"Frank," the boy said. Percy turned to him.

"Huh?"

"My name's Frank. Frank Zhang at your service your highness," the boy said with a slight nod towards the prince. Percy grinned, and nodded to Frank.

"I'm Hazel," the girl added, "Hazel Levesque at your service, your highness."

"That's another thing," Percy said quickly, "you don't have to call me 'your highness' it's too formal. Just Percy is fine."

"But your majesty-"

"No," Percy said, cutting off Frank from his thought, "it's just Percy."

Percy noticed the smiles forming at the corners of Frank and Hazel's mouths as they turned back to look ahead at the road in front of them. Percy was glad to find some sort of relief in the reason they were on this journey, but when the thought came back, anger instantly swirled inside of him.

It wasn't the same for him, like anyone else whose gems got stolen. Maybe for his parents as well, but they hadn't lost the gems. _Percy _had. They were in _his _room, and if he couldn't get them back, then it was _his _fault they were gone forever.

River was his younger sister. She was only twelve when she died, but she and Percy were extremely close. She died of a disease, although no one knew what it was, the cause, or the cure. It was a peaceful death, but still extremely sad for the entire kingdom.

Queen Salina had known how distraught Percy was, although she was distraught herself, for she had lost her daughter, but she told Percy that she thought that Percy deserved to have her jewels. River _adored _her jewels, and she loved to dress up in them all of the time. Even if there wasn't a special occasion.

They were her most prized possession.

And then they became Percy's.

He guarded those jewels with his life, and he was going to get them back, even if it killed him. Percy had kept them hidden in his closet, for the last few years, and was even too scared to touch them. Dread filled his stomach at the thought of them being sold and sent halfway around the world.

"Come on Blackjack," Percy said, and Blackjack instantly picked up running. Hazel and Frank were close behind him. Percy didn't want to wait any longer to get those gems back. He was getting them back, as soon as possible.

That meant no wasting time.

**Annabeth**

"So what's the plan?" Annabeth asked when they reached Luke and Leo's cabin. The two shared one, seeing as they didn't have any other family, so the group as a whole decided that this would be the place the stolen goods would stay.

The others didn't want to risk the thought of them being caught and their families having to pay the price for their crime.

If it came to that scenario, they would own up to it, not make their families pay.

"Keep the jewels here until morning, and then we'll head to Jupiter Kingdom in the morning," Luke explained as they walked inside of his and Leo's small cabin.

"We found some amazing deals waiting there," Leo said excitedly, "we're going to be filthy rich."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to go there now?" Annabeth asked, "Why are we giving the kingdom more time to find us?"

"She has a point," Reyna said with a nod. Annabeth stared at the boys, as they paused for a moment.

"We need our rest," Luke protested, and Annabeth rolled her eyes before grabbing the bag of jewels she and Reyna had stolen from the prince's room.

"Then you can rest here. But I'm going now. I'm not going risk getting caught," she said, and Reyna grabbed another bag.

"I'm going with her."

Luke opened his mouth to speak, when they heard shouting coming from near the square. People were shouting and yelling, and Annabeth's heart hammered against her chest when she heard horses' hooves running along the cobblestones.

"I suggest we leave now, seeing as we don't have much time," she hissed, and Leo rushed to the window to look out.

"Uh, I think Blondie's right," he said.

"And why's that?" Luke demanded, and Annabeth could tell he was obviously unhappy with these circumstances. Poor Luke needed his beauty sleep.

"The guards are here," Leo said thickly, and Annabeth groaned. She pushed Leo out of the way and looked out of the window. In the square, a few ways down the road, were some guards, a large group of them. They were hanging wanted posters in the middle of the town square, and shouting things like; "Large reward to anyone who finds these criminals!" and "They will be punished for their crimes!"

Annabeth felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach, and she shook her head.

"We gotta go," she said, "like right now."

**Percy**

By the time Percy, Frank, and Hazel had reached the main town, it was obvious that the first search party had already been there. The square was in a frenzy, and people were running around, looking at the wanted posters that were hung up.

As soon as some people recognized Percy on top of his horse, they all bowed respectfully.

"Prince Perseus, what do we owe you the honor?" an elderly man said to the prince with a respectful bow. Percy smiled kindly to the man and hopped down from Blackjack.

"Someone has stolen Princess River's jewels," Percy announced, "as I'm sure most of you remember my deceased sister, and the fact that someone would go to amounts to steal her jewels sickens my heart."

"Who would do such a thing?" someone shouted from the crowd. Percy tried to suppress the tears in the back of his eyes at the thought of his sister, but he kept up his bravado for the crowd in front of him.

"I do not know," Percy said, "that is why we have our best guards out and trying to capture these heartless criminals before they got to amounts of stealing, or even harming, anyone else."

The crowd erupted into cheers, although Percy didn't know if he could live up to those words.

"Prince Percy?" a little voice said from beside Percy. Percy looked down and was met with the big brown eyes of a little girl.

"Oh I'm so sorry your highness, I tried to stop her-" the girl's mother said frantically trying to pull the girl away from the prince, but Percy wanted to hear what she had to say. She reminded Percy so much of River when she was younger.

"It's quite alright," Percy said, and knelt in front of the small girl, "what is it, sweetie?"

"Do you miss Princess River? I always thought she was so pwetty," the little girl said, and this time Percy couldn't hold back a tear that slipped from his eye.

"Of course I do," he said softly.

"I hope you get her jewels back from those meanies," the little girl said with an angry pout, and a laugh escaped Percy's mouth.

"Me too," he said softly.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this chapter seemed kind of rushed, but I hope you liked it. <strong>

**Please review! (:**

**Thanks for reading xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	4. Chapter 4

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Annabeth**

Annabeth always loved running. She could feel the wind in her hair, and her adrenaline rushing through her veins. She could just run and run and run…

She didn't know if Luke had come with them or not, but she didn't look back. That was one thing Annabeth had learned not to do in her years of being a criminal; don't look back.

The farthest you can go is to the horizon, and that's where Annabeth was heading. She leapt over more fallen branches and leave covered ground. Running through the forest wasn't necessarily easy, but she and her friends seemed to be doing it well.

"Rest stop!" Leo announced, and Annabeth obliged. They ran over to a little stream that trickled down onto the small rocks beneath it. It was peaceful, to say the least.

Annabeth was surprised when she saw Luke with the group, and she felt a smile creep up onto her face. She knew that Luke had wanted to wait until morning to leave, but he had decided to come with them.

"So you came," Annabeth noted while sitting next to him. He cracked her a grin and nodded.

"You'd think I'd leave you guys to fend for yourselves?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and elbowed him in ribs. Leo, Chris, and Clarisse were drinking from the stream, while Reyna went through more of her gems in the bag that they had stolen from the prince.

"Anything good?" Annabeth asked, even though she had already gone through the bag. Reyna looked up and smiled.

"We're going to make a fortune off of this."

"If the guards don't find us first," Luke pointed out, and Annabeth glanced at him.

"They won't," she said, and looked at Reyna who was watching the two of them.

"I mean, they could," Luke retorted back, "and then we'd be screwed."

"Why are you being so negative?" Annabeth snapped, a little harsher than she had intended. Luke seemed taken aback by her comment and turned to look at her, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm just being realistic, Annabeth," he said calmly while pushing back his blond hair out of his eyes. Annabeth frowned and stared at him.

"Well you're not really uplifting the spirits of the team," Annabeth commented, "You know I have to do this for my family. We need to get out of this godforsaken kingdom."

Luke was silent for a moment, and Annabeth watched him intently. Reyna slowly made her way over to the stream, to avoid getting involved in the impeding argument. Annabeth and Luke had known each other the longest, ever since Annabeth was seven.

She, her dad, and her brothers had just moved to the kingdom, and Luke was the first person to befriend her. He acted like an older brother to her, and taught her the ins and the outs of the kingdom. They also had the most tension between them, and everyone in the group knew it, too. It was obvious that Annabeth used to like Luke, and the feelings were never reciprocated. Annabeth didn't know if she still had feelings for him, but they fought _a lot_.

"We have a group of royal guards after us," Luke said finally, "it's not going to be easy."

"I never said it would be easy," Annabeth continued, and Luke shook his head.

"I'm just starting to think this isn't such a good idea," he said and started twisting the golden ring around his finger that he had stolen from the king and the queen. Annabeth stared at him, trying not to let her mouth drop too much.

"This was _your _idea!" she said, and Luke shot his head towards her.

"I never said it was perfect. You guys didn't have to go along with it, you know!" he said angrily, and Annabeth scrunched her eyebrows together and shook her head.

"You're ridiculous," she mumbled under her breath, and for some reason this seemed to strike a nerve in Luke.

"_I'm _ridiculous?!" he said while standing up from the trunk they were sitting on, "you're the one who's practically blinded by your stupid fantasy that you'll _actually _get your family out of here! News flash Annabeth, you're a criminal and criminals _never _win!"

By now, Leo, Chris, Clarisse, and Reyna were all watching nervously as the two fought. Annabeth could feel her blood boiling.

"You're a coward, Luke Castellan," she growled, and Luke glowered at her.

"You're wrong, _Annie_," he hissed, "I'm the only _smart _one here!"

He looked between her and the other four, who obviously didn't like that snide remark from Luke. He took the king's ring that was on his finger and threw it on the ground.

"Have fun getting thrown in jail," he grumbled before walking off.

"Luke! Where are you going?!" Leo called, standing up from his crouched position by the stream.

"Back home!" Luke called, and disappeared into the woods. Annabeth felt all eyes on her, and she felt like her heart had been slammed into by a bus. She was angry, she was hurt, and she was _annoyed_. Who did Luke think he was?

"We're better off without him," Annabeth said and turned to the four remaining. She picked up the ring, and threw it in one of the bags before slinging it over her shoulder. With a grim smirk, she looked at the group, and smiled.

"Just think; more money for us."

**Percy**

Percy didn't want to lose hope, he really didn't. He wanted to stay as positive as possible, and just think that he'd be able to find the thieves who stole his sister's jewels, but as he, Frank, and Hazel wandered through the woods on their horses, the possibilities became slim.

"Hey," Hazel said, "are you okay?"

Percy looked at the girl, and felt a slight comfort, although her eyes were startling.

"Kind of," he said honestly, "I just want to find those stupid thieves and get my sister's gems back."

Hazel and Frank were silent, as if they knew getting it back would be difficult, as well. But, Percy had to remember they had a whole team of royal guards out searching, and someone _had _to find them.

"Don't worry, your majesty," Frank said, "we'll find them and make them pay for what they did."

"Call me Percy," Percy corrected, and Frank grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, force of habit."

Percy smiled as they continued to make their way into the woods, looking for anything that looked suspicious. The thieves couldn't have gotten far. The moon was bright overhead, and the stars twinkled in the sky. River always loved to look at the stars.

"Percy?" Hazel said suddenly, and Percy looked at her.

"Yes?"

"Do you miss her?"

Percy stared at Hazel for a moment, wondering if she had read his mind, before nodding slightly.

"Every day," he said, "everything reminds me of her. Even though she died two years ago."

"We were friends," Hazel said, "she used to come visit me when I was patrolling the grounds, and we'd talk about anything and everything. I know, it wasn't professional, but she said it was rare to see a female guard around."

Percy smiled as Hazel did as well, reliving the old memories with the princess. Percy sighed and looked up at the sky once more.

"She was so friendly," he said, "he loved making friends with the staff. She said even though they technically worked for us, she considered them family."

Hazel and Frank smiled at the fond memories of the princess, and Percy felt his heart grow heavy. He _needed _to find those gems. For River's sake.

He knew that those were her most prized possessions that they became his as well.

"We'll find them," Frank assured, "I give you my word."

Percy smiled gratefully at the knight, and then turned to look straight ahead. Blackjack's mane seemed to glow in the moonlight, and he almost blended in with the night sky. Suddenly, sound of rustling leaves caught the trio's attention.

They all drew their swords, ready for any sort of enemy that came out, and Percy's heart beat against his chest, hoping that it was the thieves.

But instead, the sillouette of a boy exited from the bushes. He was breathing heavily as he approached the three.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded, holding his sword towards the boy. The boy emerged from the shadows, and his face was red from running. His blond hair was matted to his forehead and his blue eyes twinkled when he recognized the prince and his guards.

"Your majesty," the boy said before bowing his head, "it's a pleasure."

"What are you doing out here?" Percy asked suspiciously while staring at the boy. He seemed to act scared, and confused, which worried Percy. Percy glanced at Hazel and Frank who had their swords ready in case this boy seemed to be a threat. But even if he was, he was much too tired to even put on a good fight.

"I ran into those awful thieves who had stolen from you and your family!" the boy said while shaking his head, "it was awful, they tried to get me to join them, but of course I wouldn't."

Percy's heartbeat quickened in his chest.

"Where did you see them?" he demanded, losing his patience.

"Just a little ways north by the stream. They were taking a rest, and I think they were heading to Jupiter Kingdom to sell what they stole."

Percy's heart dropped, and he felt Blackjack uneasy beneath him. They had to hurry before they sold the jewels and they were gone forever.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Percy said, and pointed the sword closer to the boy. He gulped and put on an uneasy smile.

"Your majesty, I've been a loyal citizen of your kingdom since I was born. I was running because they threatened me if I didn't join them, so I ran. I'm sorry for disrupting your search, but I thought you would like to hear this information," he said, and Percy stared at him.

He had no other leads as to where the thieves were, so he had to trust his instincts on this one.

"What's your name, boy?" Percy asked, and the boy grinned.

"Luke. Luke Castellan."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh boy, Luke's a bad guy. <strong>

**I hope you liked it! Sorry for the shortness, but I promise there will be longer chapters coming up. **

**Please review!**

**Thanks for reading xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	5. Chapter 5

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Percy**

The moon casted shadows over Percy, Frank, and Hazel as they stopped for their horses to stop for a drink at the stream that Luke Castellan had said that he had last seen the thieves.

Percy wanted to keep moving, but he knew that the horses need a rest. He stroked Blackjack's mane as he stood next to his steed. The reflection of the moon above rippled in the stream, and Percy took a breath. He didn't know how far the thieves could get, but all he knew was that he had to stop them before they reached Jupiter Kingdom otherwise he'd never get his sister's jewels back.

"Are you ready, Percy?" Hazel asked as she climbed on top of Arion, her horse, and stared down at the prince. Percy nodded and climbed up onto Blackjack, as Frank climbed up on Guido.

The three of them set off, as their horses ran quickly through the forest. Percy just hoped that he could get to the thieves fast enough.

As they were running, a low growl sent a chill through Percy's spine, and Blackjack came to a halt. Guido and Arion followed his lead, and Frank almost went flying off of Guido.

"What is it, boy?" Percy asked Blackjack while frowning. Suddenly, his fears were confirmed, and four wolves jumped out from behind a dark tree. Their amber eyes glowed brightly in the moonlight, and their fangs were bared. Their claws looked like they could rip Percy into pieces, and the growl sent the horses into a frenzie.

"Easy," Percy coaxed, and the horses seemed to oblige to the prince.

Hazel and Frank drew their swords and the three hopped off of the horses. Percy wasn't sure if it was a good battle strategy, but he couldn't take the chance of injuring his horses.

"Approach them, slowly," Frank whispered, and Percy and Hazel nodded in response. Percy's sword glowed in the moonlight, and he inched closer towards the wolves, until one of them leapt forward towards him. He acted on instinct and dodged the wolf before slicing his sword at the wolf's foot, sending it rolling towards the stream. The wolf didn't seem injured when it stood, only angry.

Frank and Hazel were fighting off the other three, but Percy knew he couldn't let them do it alone. The wolf Percy had dodged came running towards him, with a slight limp from where Percy had cut into its back paw.

Percy was surprised to see that even though the wolf was injured, it was still barreling towards Percy at full speed. He raised his sword, ready to attack, and when the wolf leapt forward, Percy sidestepped it once more, but this time it was quicker.

It leapt once more at Percy, and sunk its teeth into his arm. Percy let out a cry of pain, but surprisingly, Hazel and Frank weren't the ones who pulled the wolf off of him. A dark large mass loomed over Percy, and a whinny escaped it as it knocked the wolf off of Percy.

Percy grinned as he looked up at Blackjack who was stamping his feet.

"Thanks buddy," he said quickly, as the injured wolf scampered away in fright from Blackjack. One down, three to go.

Percy ran over to Hazel and Frank, as they held back the angry wolves.

Percy stepped forward and jabbed the hilt of his sword between the eyes of one of the wolves, and sent its eyes rolling backwards. With a kick to the chest, Percy sent the wolf tumbling into the brush.

Suddenly, Hazel let out a cry in pain, and Percy noticed a wolf pinning her to the ground, with its teeth sunken into her shoulder. If the wolf had bitten anywhere closer to Hazel's neck, he would have gotten her jugular vein, and it would've been over.

"Hazel!" Percy cried and raced over to her. He kicked the wolf off of her, and slashed his sword to the wolf's paws before pushing it back with the hilt of his sword. Blackjack did the honors of scaring it, and the last wolf away, allowing Frank and Percy to reach Hazel.

The wound wasn't pretty. Blood was seeping through her shirt, and her face was slowly draining its color. Her eyes were squinted, and Percy knew they had to help her, and quick. Frank seemed to understand, because he quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around Hazel's wound to stop the bleeding.

"Keep applying pressure," Percy ordered as Frank held the jacket to Hazel's shoulder. Percy was trying to remember everything he could from spending his summers in the royal infirmary when he was younger. His mother had said that she wanted him to learn proper first aid etiquette.

Percy glanced over at the stream and quickly stood up before racing over. He grabbed a leaf, and made a small bowl with it by cupping his hands under it. He filled it with water before walking quickly, trying not to spill the water, to Hazel.

"Here, drink this," he said while lifting her head. Hazel slowly took small sips of the water, but still seemed too weak.

"Frank, do you think you can lift her over to the stream, so it's closer?" Percy asked. Frank nodded while slipping his arms under Hazel's limp form and carrying her bridal style towards the water.

Percy took some of the supplies that they have brought with them, and laid out some blankets for Hazel to rest on. He then made a pillow out of the bag, and let Frank put Hazel down. Percy felt Hazel's forehead, and she was burning up.

Frank was still applying pressure to Hazel's wound, and Percy knew that he had to bring down Hazel's fever somehow or she would overheat. He looked around, and knew that a leaf wouldn't hold the moisture from the water, so he did what he felt he had to do.

He ripped the sleeve off of his shirt.

He dunked the sleeve into the water, and squeezed out any excess, before placing it gently on Hazel's forehead.

"Can you talk?" Percy asked, and Hazel nodded gently.

"It hurts like hell," she croaked, and Percy and Frank laughed.

"Don't worry, we'll fix you up," Frank said, and Hazel forced a small smile.

Percy used Hazel's leaf bowl to scoop up some more water before bringing it to her lips. She took small sips, but Percy grew relieved when the color started to come back to her face.

"Percy, you need to go," Hazel said suddenly, and Percy stared at her.

"What?" he asked, and Hazel sat up, ignoring the pleas from both Percy and Frank for her to stay down and rest.

"You need to get your sister's jewels back," Hazel said, obviously struggling with talking. She winced every time she spoke.

"Hazel, your health is more important-"

"No," Hazel said, cutting Percy off. He stared at her, his eyes scanning her face.

"If they get to Jupiter Kingdom before you get them, you'll never get those jewels back. I'll be fine, but I'm not going to be the reason that you don't get your sister's jewels back. I know they mean too much to you," Hazel said, and Percy felt like he could just hug her tightly and never let go. Obviously, he wouldn't, due to her condition, but he made a mental note to later when he got back to the kingdom.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, not exactly comfortable with the idea of leaving Frank and Hazel out here in the middle of the woods while Hazel was injured.

"Yes, now get going!" Hazel said. Percy smiled and kissed her forehead before standing up and climbing on top of Blackjack.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" he said, while looking down at his new friends, "promise."

"You'd better," Frank said, "now go!"

Percy smiled at them one last time before patting Blackjack's mane, and off they went.

* * *

><p>After a half hour to an hour of running, Blackjack came down to a slow trot. The sky was now starting to turn a light pink, signaling that the morning was coming. Percy didn't know how far they had gotten, and he didn't know if he was any closer to the thieves, but he forced himself to stay positive. He wondered how Hazel and Frank were doing, and he prayed that there weren't any more wolves to attack them.<p>

As Blackjack trotted along, and Percy kept his eyes and ears peeled for any suspicious behavior, he heard a girl's shriek.

"Blackjack, over there," Percy said and pointed to where the shriek came from. He saw a girl fighting off what looked like coyotes. They were small coyotes but they outnumbered the girl who was obviously struggling.

Percy hopped off of Blackjack and walked over to them. He put his fingers in his mouth and blew, earning a strong whistle. The coyotes turned their attention to Percy, and Percy drew his sword, instantly scaring the coyotes away. They weren't as scary as wolves were, seeing as coyotes were pretty much cowards.

Once the small coyotes were gone, Percy put his sword away. He looked up, but the girl was already walking away.

"No thank you?" Percy called, and the girl froze in her tracks. She had honey blonde hair that was pulled back in a curly ponytail. She had a small pouch with her, and a small knife strapped to her waist in case attacks like this happened.

The girl slowly turned around, and Percy crossed his arms over his chest.

"Thank you," the girl growled, as if she was obviously very unhappy with this, which Percy found quite amusing, "now if you don't mind, I'd better be going."

"Where are you going, exactly?" Percy asked, as the thought of the thieves being around here came into his mind. What if she was one of them?

"Is that any of your business?" the girl asked while turning around. Percy stepped closer to her, and narrowed his eyes at her.

"It is, actually. Seeing as I am prince of this kingdom," Percy said, and the girl frowned.

"You're Prince Perseus?" she said, as if she was unimpressed. Percy chuckled.

"That I am," he said, and the girl scoffed.

"Figures," she muttered and was on her way.

"You do realize that you're in the middle of a highly patrolled area right now, and if you refuse to answer me I could place you under arrest for trespassing a crime scene," Percy said, although he was completely bluffing. He didn't know if he could arrest anyone walking through the woods right now, but he needed to get something out of this girl.

The girl froze and slowly turned around. She looked less than happy to oblige to his rules, but it only made Percy grin in satisfaction.

"I'm going to my grandparents," she answered, "they live in Jupiter Kingdom, and I was making my way there, if you'd really like to know."

"What's in the pouch?" Percy asked, continuing to prompt the girl. He didn't know if he trusted her just yet, especially since she was going to Jupiter Kingdom, and seeing as anyone could be a suspicion at this point. The girl scowled and rolled her eyes.

"You really like asking questions don't you?" she asked while putting her hands at her hips. Percy took a few steps closer to her and smirked.

"Yes I do, and I'd appreciate it, if you'd answer them," he said, and the girl grumbled something under her breath before shrugging.

"Food that my mother sent along with me," the girl said while pulling out an apple from the pouch, "and aid supplies if I got sick or hurt."

Percy eyed her suspiciously and crossed his arms over his chest again.

"Why are you traveling alone?" he asked, and the girl raised an eyebrow at him as if she was completely annoyed with his questionnaire, although Percy didn't care. Anybody got be the thief at this point.

"My mother is working all of the time and my brother is sick," the girl explained, "I'm going to my grandparents to collect money that they promised us for my brother's medication. If we're done here, I'd like to get going."

Percy continued to stare at her. Something about her seemed very familiar, although he couldn't put his finger on it, but as he stared at her, he felt like he had known her his whole life.

"What's your name?" he questioned. The girl rolled her eyes once more, yet again Percy found it amusing.

"Annabelle," she answered. Percy stared at her before leading Blackjack towards her.

"Well, Annabelle, you're in luck," he said, "I'm also heading to Jupiter Kingdom, and after seeing that incident with the coyotes, it looks like you could use an escort."

Annabelle looked like she wanted to protest, but she obliged to the prince.

"I'm guessing I don't have a choice, do I?" she grumbled, and Percy chuckled.

"That's right, you don't."

* * *

><p><strong>So Percy found Annabeth, but she's lyinggg<strong>

**What do you think will happen? **

**Thanks for reading (: xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	6. Chapter 6

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Annabeth**

Annabeth's heart was pounding against her chest as she walked next to the prince. She gripped the bag of jewels in her hand tightly, hoping that he wouldn't ask to check if she was lying. If she got caught now, there would be no doubt that he would know that she was lying, and she would instantly be thrown in jail, or banished.

If she ever got back to her friends, she was going to yell at them so much for making her go alone to get food. Although, maybe she was lucky, because if one of them had accompanied her the prince would have been more suspicious.

Annabeth had left the group, since they were whining and complaining about how hungry they were, and none of them actually would get off of their lazy butts and go find food, so Annabeth volunteered, seeing as she was going to lose her chill if they complained one more time.

It was like taking care of a group of five year olds.

She had found an apple tree nearby, and had picked enough for them, but was stopped by the stupid group of coyotes on her way back. And that's when the prince had found her.

She had resisted the urge to rip his head off as soon as he told her who he was. She had absolutely _loathed _the prince. Even just looking at him, dressed in fine armor and clothing. It made her want to punch him in the face.

She resisted the urge to think that he was good looking, but the way his black hair fell over his bright eyes, made Annabeth find herself staring at him, but as soon as she remembered who he was, she instantly hated him all over again.

"So," the prince said while walking next to her, leading his black steed, "how old are you?"

"Is that any of your business?" Annabeth snapped back, and tried to bite her tongue, but she couldn't help it. She had grown up hating the prince and the royal family for her whole life, ever since her mother had left her family.

She figured she should be angrier at her mother for leaving, but she found her hatred being turned towards the royal family, and she put all of the blame on them. When the prince had the audacity to actually _laugh _at her remark, Annabeth felt her blood boil.

"You know, Annabelle," he said, "I'm the prince, and seeing as there are a group of thieves out there right now, I have every right to be questioning people."

Annabeth bit her tongue to correct him of her name, since she had been mistaken for Annabelle all of her life, but now she was relying on that name for her survival.

"Sorry," she grumbled, not wanting to pressure him to look through her bags. She had taken some of the jewels with her, just in case the others took off with all of the money and left her stranded. It's not that she didn't trust the people she was travelling with, but she had dealt with people in the past who had screwed her over, and she wasn't going to take that chance again.

"I'm seventeen," she said, and looked at the prince, who didn't seem to be much older than she was.

"What about you?" she questioned, though she didn't really care.

"Eighteen," the prince answered, and Annabeth noticed that his eyes were focused more on the land in front of them.

He seemed to be jittery, and Annabeth watched as his finger twitched.

"Are you okay?" she asked, not out of concern, but because her nerves were on edge, and she wanted to avoid any chance of being caught.

"Not really," he grumbled, "I hope you don't mind, but do you think we could take my horse to Jupiter Kingdom? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"You don't need to escort me, your highness," Annabeth said, trying to sound as polite as possible. Maybe this was her escape. She could convince him to leave her and go off on his own, and then she could get back to her friends, and they could change their course, now that they knew that the prince knew where they were heading.

The prince smiled sweetly at Annabeth, and she felt her hopes melt away.

"Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I left a young girl all alone in the middle of the woods?" he said.

"I can take care of myself," Annabeth grumbled, but apparently the prince wasn't going to take no for an answer. Annabeth didn't know if he knew secretly that she had the jewels from his closet, and maybe this was all a trap to get arrested as soon as they arrived in Jupiter Kingdom.

Or maybe he was just being stubborn.

She didn't know.

He climbed up onto the black horse, and then turned to Annabeth.

He held out his hand to Annabeth, and she was confused for a moment, until she realized that he wanted her to climb up onto his horse.

Annabeth pushed past his offer and hopped up onto the horse herself. She didn't like being so close to the prince, but if she was going to keep this charade up, she had to act like she was some vulnerable girl who needed help from the prince.

She rolled her eyes when she realized how many girls would have killed to be in this position with Prince Perseus, seeing as he was wanted by almost every maiden in the kingdom. But Annabeth couldn't help but be repulsed by the close proximity as she wrapped her arms around his waist to keep from falling off of the horse.

She gripped the small burlap sack with the jewels and a few apples in it, tightly. Her whole life was relying on not letting that bag drop. If the prince found out about the jewels…Annabeth didn't even want to know what the consequences would be. Especially since she had lied.

She was starting to think that maybe running for it when he had found her would have been a better option than this.

The black horse ran as the two sat in silence the whole time. Annabeth didn't know what she was going to do. Maybe once they reached Jupiter Kingdom she could thank the prince and head off to her fake grandparents' house, and then figure it out from there, but she first had to _make _it to Jupiter Kingdom first.

She wondered what her friends were doing, and if they were worried.

After maybe a half hour of running, the prince slowed his horse down to a slow trot, and Annabeth could relax for a little bit.

"We should take a break," the prince said, and climbed off of his horse. Annabeth frowned before also sliding off of the black stallion.

"I thought you wanted to get to Jupiter Kingdom as fast as possible," Annabeth muttered, and Percy pointed up to the sky that was starting to darken.

"Coyotes and wolves come out at night," he said, "and besides, Blackjack here needs rest or he'll never make it."

Annabeth groaned internally but sat down on the ground, and started picking at the grass. She kept the burlap sack in one hand, and used the other to make patterns in the ground.

"You're not like other girls, Annabelle," the prince said, "you're very rude."

Annabeth laughed dryly, and looked up at the prince. His green eyes seemed to glow in the dim light.

"That's because I see the truth behind people," she hissed, "I see through those fake shells."

The prince looked offended by this, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"So I'm assuming you see through my 'shell'," he put quotations in the air around the word shell, and Annabeth grew angrier when she thought he was mocking her.

"Yeah, I do," she snapped, and the prince looked taken aback by her comment.

"I don't know what I did to you, Annabelle," he said, "or what _shell _I'm putting up, but I can assure you, once we get to Jupiter Kingdom you won't have to see me again."

Annabeth almost said; _Good_, but she bit her tongue.

With that, the two sat in silence, before the prince nodded towards her.

"Get some rest, we'll leave at dawn," he said, and Annabeth wanted to oblige. What if while she was sleeping he went through her bag?

She had to trust he wouldn't, because her sleepiness was becoming more powerful than her conscious thoughts. She curled up around the bag, and held it close to her chest, before her eyelids grew heavy and she was fast asleep.

**Percy**

Percy watched as Annabelle slept, and couldn't help but feel bad about what she had said. Was he putting on a shell? Was he not being the best person he could be? His parents had always taught him to be kind to his subjects, and help anyone in need, and that's what he had been trying to do his whole life.

As he watched her sleep, he tried to go through all of the things in his mind of what he could've done wrong, until he thought about River.

His heart dropped with dread when he thought of her, and he figured that after her death, he kind of shut himself away from society. Maybe he turned his back on his kingdom…

He couldn't help it. His sister had died, and there was nothing he could do to help her. He had never felt so useless and helpless in his life, and he resented himself for not being able to help the most important person in his life when she needed him.

Annabelle was breathing softly as she slept, with her blonde curly ponytail next to her face. Percy looked up at Blackjack, who was also asleep. He sighed, and ran his hands through his hair. He wondered how Hazel and Frank were doing, and he hoped that they had made it back to the kingdom alright.

He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something had happened to them as well, and it would have been his fault.

He stared up at the stars above, and let out a sigh.

"I'll get your jewels back, River," he spoke softly, as if he was talking to her, "I promise."

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><p><strong>Sorry for the short chapter. They'll get longer I promise. I hope you liked it!<strong>

**Also, please check out my two new stories ****Millions of Secrets**** and ****Of Waves and Fish**** they're both Percabeth stories, and they're both AUs, so it'd mean a lot of you checked them out!**

**Thanks for reading xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Annabeth**

Annabeth woke up when the sun was just rising over the trees of the forest, and she looked over to see the prince's sleeping form. She noticed that he drooled in his sleep.

Her finger twitched and she looked at the brown burlap sack that she had been carrying around protectively, and felt nervous when she thought that the prince had found out that she was the thief who stole the jewels.

But she brought comfort to herself when she realized that if he had figured it out, she would be in a prison right now, not still in the middle of the forest.

She grabbed it quickly, and pulled it to her chest, not wanting to risk anything, and she looked at the prince's sleeping form. She could escape. She could escape right then and there, and he would never be able to find her. She could get to Jupiter Kingdom, and jump on a boat and get to the nearest kingdom to sell her jewels, seeing as Jupiter Kingdom was out of the question now that the prince and his royal guards knew that that was where she and the others were planning on going.

She cursed under her breath, thinking about Luke and how he was the one who most likely told them.

What a backstabber.

Annabeth sat up, clutching the brown bag in her hands, and her feet twitched, wanting to run as fast as possible. She glanced back at Blackjack, the black steed that the prince rode who was tied to a tree, and who was fast asleep.

She could always steal Blackjack as well and get away even quicker, but it would be easier to track her. Even if she did manage to get away, she could tell that Blackjack was very loyal to his master, and she figured he wouldn't be too happy with her taking him away from the prince.

Annabeth stood up slowly, and went to take a step, when the prince rolled onto his back in his sleep. She froze, and waited. When the coast was clear, she took another step, and then another.

"Where are you going?" she heard from behind her, and Annabeth cursed under her breath. So close. She forced a smile onto her face and turned around to face the prince who was rubbing the sleep out of his bright green eyes. His black hair was a complete mess, but he made it look good.

_He made it look good? What the hell Annabeth?_

She scolded herself, but looked at the prince.

"I was going to find us some breakfast," she said, and the prince's eyes fell on the brown back still in Annabeth's hands.

"Why do you have that?"

"There's an apple tree nearby," Annabeth spoke, trying not to seem too urgent, "I was going to fill it with apples. Big guy over there might be hungry as well."

The prince seemed to find this answer acceptable, and nodded while brushing off some grass off of his pants. God forbid he get grass stains on his expensive pants, it's not like he has people who would make him a brand new pair if that were to happen.

"I'll come with you," he said and stood to his feet. Annabeth once again, cursed in her mind, but smiled for the prince.

"Thank you," she forced herself to say. Her life was on the line here, and she couldn't afford to get thrown in jail, or maybe even executed. She wondered if her father and her brothers were worried about her, and she resisted the urge to think about them, too worried that she would get homesick.

She and the prince walked in silence towards the apple tree that was only a few ways away. She spotted it, and pointed to the tree, which the prince nodded at. He took out his sword and cut down a branch, and they instantly began to pick away. Annabeth hadn't been completely lying. She was going to use this tree for food, but she was hoping to make an escape as soon as she was out of sight from the prince.

She made sure to take the apples from the prince to put in the bag, hoping that he wouldn't look in and see the jewels at the bottom. She placed the apples in carefully, not wanting to break anything of value.

Annabeth froze when she went down to pick an apple, and saw a spider as big as her thumb, lying on the tree. She let out a blood curdling scream, and the prince raced to her side.

"What is it?" he asked, his sword was drawn and ready to attack. Annabeth's arms practically shook as she pointed towards the spider that crawled over the branch quietly. The prince lowered his sword and turned to Annabeth with an amusing glint in his eyes.

"Really?" he said, and Annabeth glared at him.

"Kill it!" she said, and hid behind the prince who only chuckled, and put his sword back in its pocket, attached to his belt.

"It's only a spider, love," he said, "it won't hurt you."

"Yes it will!"

The prince sighed, and flicked the spider with his forefinger and his thumb, off of the branch.

"There," he said, "all better?"

Annabeth nodded nervously, and cleared her throat, not wanting to appear weak in front of the prince, but the thought of spiders made her shudder.

"Thanks," she mumbled, and the prince chuckled before plucking another apple and handing it to Annabeth who gingerly put it in the bag. When they finished, and figured they had enough apples to last them a month, they headed back towards Blackjack. The prince insisted that he carry the bag, seeing as it was heavy now. Annabeth wanted to protest, but she knew it would be too suspicious if she was so protective over apples, so she let him carry it, hoping that all of the apples covered the feeling of the jewels she had stolen from his room a few nights ago.

Luckily, he didn't seem to notice anything as he placed the bag down on the ground, and grinned at Annabeth.

Annabeth was about to grab an apple out of the bag when her stomach grumbled, but she froze when she heard the sound of a growl.

"Don't move," she heard the prince warn, and she felt her heart hammer in her chest, too afraid to move. She heard the prince take a ginger step forward, but Blackjack suddenly whinnied, obviously frightened by whatever it was growling like that.

"Run!" the prince commanded, and Annabeth grabbed her bag before racing forward. The prince was hot at her heels, with Blackjack galloping behind them. That's when Annabeth noticed the pack of wolves chasing them. The prince jumped on Blackjack while running, something Annabeth didn't understand, and he raced next to her.

"Grab my hand!" he instructed, and Annabeth glanced back at the wolves chasing them. Far too many for them to fight off. Annabeth then looked at the prince's hand that was outstretched to her. She didn't know how she would jump onto a running horse, but she would rather do that than be eaten alive by wolves.

She grabbed the prince's hand, and he hauled her up so she was sitting behind him. She clutched the brown bag with her fortune in it, in one hand, and her other arm was wrapped around the prince's waist to keep from falling.

Rushing water suddenly filled Annabeth's ears, and she looked ahead to see a river crashed through the woods. The wolves were still on their trail, and Annabeth didn't know what the prince was thinking of doing, but they were headed straight towards the rapids.

"What are you doing?!" Annabeth shouted over the rushing water as Blackjack ran straight for it.

"Hold on!" the prince commanded, and Annabeth clutched both him and the bag tightly as Blackjack jumped at the last moment and they soared into the air. Annabeth closed her eyes tightly as they were suspended in the air for what felt like forever. It was like they were flying. She expected to feel the impact of cold rushing water hit her body, but she felt nothing.

Blackjack landed on the ground with a grunt, and Annabeth opened her eyes to see that they were on the side. Her jaw dropped in amazement as she realized how far Blackjack had actually jumped. The prince hauled Blackjack to a stop, and they turned to see the wolves who were barking angrily from the other side of the rushing water.

The prince hopped off of Blackjack and helped Annabeth down once the wolves gave up and turned around and walked away.

"Thanks," Annabeth murmured, and the prince started to laugh. She stared at him incredulously, as he laughed and laughed and laughed. She seemed to like his laugh, it was melodic, like a song, and it was contagious, because before Annabeth could control herself, she was laughing as well.

Soon they were both laughing hysterically, and she didn't know why, but she just had to laugh. And she had to admit, it felt good to laugh. It felt nice to let go for once and just _laugh_. Something she hasn't done in a long time.

"That was ridiculous," the prince chuckled when they came down from their laughing high. Annabeth stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't think the prince would know a word like 'ridiculous'" she commented, and the prince laughed.

"I know a lot of things," he said proudly, "I may be the prince, but I know stuff."

"I'm sure you do," Annabeth said with a sarcastic smirk, and the prince frowned at her.

"I do!" he protested, and Annabeth laughed, but she caught herself mid-laugh. What was she doing? She couldn't be bonding with the prince. Not when she needed to get away without him catching her and finding out that _she _was the thief that the whole kingdom was practically searching for.

She felt like a rock had hit the bottom of her stomach as she clutched the brown bag tightly to her chest.

"Want to toss me an apple?" the prince asked, and Annabeth took one out before tossing it to him. He caught it and took a bite.

"Can I ask you something?" Annabeth asked as she and the prince sat down. He nodded, chewing on his apple.

"Why are these jewels so important to you?" she asked, "I mean, I know about the whole kingdom looking for them, but can't the royal family just get new ones?"

The prince's eyes seemed to darken a shade, and Annabeth gulped, hoping that she hadn't struck a nerve and that he would figure out that she was the one who stole from him.

"These jewels were special," he said softly while putting his apple to the side, as if he had just lost his appetite, "they were my sister's."

Annabeth didn't remember the prince having a sister, and she tried to think back to when she was younger, but she couldn't think of anything.

"She died a few years ago, and they're the only thing I have left of her," the prince clenched his fists, and glared at the ground as if they were the ones who stole from him, "I need to get them back and bring justice to my sister."

Annabeth felt like someone had just sucker punched her. She suddenly did remember Princess River, the kingdom's sweetheart. She remembered when she passed away how everyone was so solemn, and she mentally cursed to herself. How could she be so stupid?

She stole the dead princess's jewels, and no wonder the entire kingdom was searching for her and her friends. Of course she had to be a _good _person and feel guilty as she stared at the prince who no longer had interest in his apple. Annabeth let out a breath.

"I'm sorry," she heard herself say, and the prince shrugged.

"It's not your fault," he said, and Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip.

_Actually it is._

She couldn't tell him that she stole them, because he would have her arrested, and by the way he talked, she was pretty sure he was planning on killing whoever stole the jewels. And it's not like she could bring them back to the castle, seeing as she was being escorted by the prince, and how would she possibly break in again to bring them back?

The castle was for sure on higher lockdown than it was.

Annabeth watched as Prince Perseus took a deep breath and stood up.

"I'm going to go take a walk," he said, "would you like to join me?"

Annabeth pondered on this for a minute, and she looked up at the prince, meeting his green eyes with her grey ones, and she nodded before taking his hand as he helped her to her feet.

What was she going to do?

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><p><strong>Sorry for not updating in a while! I got extremely busy! <strong>

**Anyways, what do you think will happen? **

**I hope you liked it! By the way, I don't know how many of you guys read my other stories, but I started this thing called 'Question of the Day' where I ask a question and you guys answer in the reviews.**

**Question of the Day: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?**

**I would have to say tangerines because I can never get tired of them. **

**Review!**

**Thanks for reading! (: xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


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